Jackie Speier leads sleeveless protest Friday on Capitol Hill

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Friday, July 14, 2017
Representative Jackie Speier leads sleeveless protest Friday on Capitol Hill
A Bay Area congresswoman led a protest on Friday against a decades-old ban on women wearing sleeveless tops or dresses on Capitol Hill.

WASHINGTON (KGO) -- A Bay Area congresswoman led a protest Friday against a decades-old ban on women wearing sleeveless tops or dresses on Capitol Hill.

Jackie Speier's tweet ends by saying, "Because women have the right to bare arms."

This follows female reporters being removed from certain areas for wearing sleeveless outfits.

Rep. Jackie Speier is leading a protest Friday against a decades-old ban on women wearing sleeveless clothing on Capitol Hill.

Republican Speaker Paul Ryan has urged compliance with the dress code, although he has indicated he will look into the possibility of changing that code.

Men must wear coats and ties as part of the dress code.

In 1993, U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski - known as the "Dean of Senate women," according to CNN - wore pants to work, challenging a long-held rule that females must wear skirts on the Senate floor.

"The Senate parliamentarian had looked at the rules to see if it was okay," Mikulski said in a CNN interview. "So, I walk on that day and you would have thought I was walking on the moon. It caused a big stir."